Gumboot Lake Campground- Shasta-Trinity National Forest

Gumboot Lake Campground looks like a sweet spot. It is a primitive campground, with just a few sites scattered around the edge of a little lake. We stopped by there to check it out on our way to the Gumboot Trailhead on the Pacific Crest Trail, which is just a few miles up the road from the campground. We didn't stay this time, but perhaps we will need to plan a return trip! It is a pretty easy trip from I-5 to the campground, so I am wondering if this place attracts the partying crowd...? The hiking on the PCT northbound was great by the way, interspersed with views of Mt. Shasta, the Trinity Alps and several small lakes down below the crest.

***Added June 29, 2009*** Stayed at Gumboot last weekend. The lake is beautiful and our kids had an excellent time swimming for 2 days straight. There were quite a few visitors to the lake, but we had our section of shore all to ourselves. But I was right that this spot does attract partyers. The campground is really just like dispersed camping, with no picnic tables or water and only one vault toilet. My book listed some walk-in sites across the creek, but people drive across, and that area was crowded. We had a good site at the end of the road, but it was barren from over-use. There is no fee to camp here, which is a bonus, but I felt like some campers had been there for an extended time. I would stay here again, but on a weekday, and I would want one of those camping tables to cook on.

Fowlers Camp- Shasta-Trinity National Forest

Fowlers is another of the nice campgrounds just south of beautiful Mt. Shasta, and it is situated within easy hiking distance to the waterfalls of the McCloud River. The river is lovely, and the falls are a great hike to do with the kids. The Lower falls are very close to the campground via an accessible trail, and I remember the trail to Middle falls being short and easy for the kids to accomplish. Middle falls are quite spectacular. Continue on the same trail to catch a glimpse of Upper Falls. There is swimming in the river, and I believe the trail is actually about 10 miles long, leading to Algoma Campground as well.

Bridge Camp- Shasta-Trinity National Forest

I like lovely little Bridge Camp. It is at the end of the road, at the popular Stuarts Fork trailhead. The trail leads right into the incredible Trinity Alps, and the first few miles are a nice, gradual uphill- perfect hiking for the kids. You can keep going for 15 miles and beyond if you like. The campground is right next to the river (Stuarts Fork of the Trinity), and there is a great place for the kids to play. If you are so inclined, you can also go back down the road a few miles and have yourself a tasty ice cream treat at the Trinity Alps resort, which you will pass on the way to and from the campground.

McCloud River Bridge campground- Shasta-Trinity National Forest

Went to McCloud River Bridge this weekend. It's a keeper. I was pleasantly surprised by this excursion to the Shasta Lake area. I am not much interested in camping at the lake since the level is so low, but this campground sits off the lake, just above where the river comes to a halt. Beautiful views, really beautiful river, nice campground. The best thing was just hanging out by the river- swimming, relaxing, playing, jumping. The lupines were incredible- huge swaths of purple flowers all along the riverbanks.

The campground itself was a bit overdone, with pavers and even steps and hand rails leading to the tent pads. But most of the sites were open, with just enough shade. If you are camping with another family or small group, take note that each site can only accommodate one tent in most cases.  We had 3 families, and needed 3 sites. There is no hiking right from the campground, but we did find a short but cool trail to a cave not too far from there. The kids loved exploring there, and we even saw a tiny salamander.

Note: I have seen some photos, apparently when the lake level was much higher, where it seems the campground is in fact next to the lake rather than the river. So if the lake level ever gets significantly higher, this campground would be a different experience.

Here is some info from the Shasta Trinity: www.fs.fed.us/r5/shastatrinity/recreation/nra/shasta/index.shtml

Tannery Gulch Campground- Shasta-Trinity National Forest

Tannery Gulch has been a repeat trip for us. It is one of the better campgrounds on Trinity Lake, with great trees, from huge Douglas firs to Pacific dogwoods. You can usually find a spacious site, and it is well off the main highway, so no traffic noise. There is a sandy swimming beach here, so if the lake level is up, it is a fantastic way to spend the day. However, if the lake level is low, there are exposed tree stumps and mud. 

There is a short interpretive trail at the campground- great for the kids, and you can drive to other trailheads in the area.  There is an amphitheater here, which I believe occasionally hosts evening programs, perhaps on summer weekends. 

Preacher Meadow Campground- Shasta-Trinity National Forest

We went to Preacher Meadow for a short trip in June '08. Although the name might make you think of a place so awe-inspiring that you would shout to the heavens, it did not quite live up to that expectation. Don't get me wrong- it was definitely pretty.  The campground itself is nice- sites are not too crowded, good combo of shade and sun. It is not very far off Highway 3, so the sites overlooking the river would be the most quiet. The campground sits above the river, but the only access we could see was extremely steep- not safe for the kids to attempt. We drove up the road just a few miles and found a relatively calm spot for the kids to play in the river. And while there is no hiking from the campground, there are trails within relatively close driving distance. Trinity Lake is close by as well, but the lake level was so low that it seemed an unattractive option for swimming.

Cattle Camp Campground- Shasta-Trinity National Forest

So we left Ah-Di-Na and headed east on Highway 89, with impressive Mt. Shasta just to the north. We came upon Cattle Camp, and despite the negative image the name conjures, we gave this campground a big thumbs up. The sites are spacious, with plenty of room for the kids to roam and explore, and a great balance of shade and sun. Less than a mile's hike from the campground we found an excellent swimming hole where the kids played for hours. The trail goes beyond that as well, but we could never get our kids any further than that swimming hole! 

We also hiked on the Pacific Crest Trail, which has several access points in the area (driving distance). The one drawback to Cattle Camp is that the planners seem to have gone a bit wild with the concrete. Not only is the parking area paved, but there is also a concrete pad for the picnic table and fire ring. Given the other positives, I still call this a great campground, and plan a return trip. If you get a hankering for some soft serve, you can stop at Floyd's Frosty in McCloud as you head back to I-5.

It is a little difficult to find useful info on the Shasta-Trinity website, but here is the camping link: www.fs.fed.us/r5/shastatrinity/recreation/#Camping

Ah-Di-Na Campground- Shasta-Trinity National Forest

We planned to camp at Ah-Di-Na in late June 2008, hoping to get up and out of the smoke from the Whiskeytown fires that had Redding socked in. The campground is about 7 miles down a fairly rough dirt road, if I remember correctly. Not too bad, but I would hesitate to take, say, a Prius down there. The campsites seemed very used- not much ground vegetation. It is right on the McCloud River, and I would guess there is some good fishing here, as most campers seemed to be fisherfolk. It is a pretty spot, down in a little valley, but we felt a little closed-in there, ultimately deciding to leave and camp elsewhere. There were many fires burning, and it did not seem like a good place to be should we need to make a quick exit. There were some ruins of an old homestead to explore, so the kids enjoyed checking that out before we left. The Pacific Crest Trail runs right through this area. 

Here is a little history of the campground from the Shasta-Trinity National Forest website:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/shastatrinity/documents/st-main/maps/rogs/mccloud/ah-di-na.pdf